nounEtymology: in sense 1, from Middle English, from Old English timpana, from Latin tympanum; in other senses, from Medieval Latin & Latin tympanumDate: before 12th century1.drum I,1
2. a sheet (as of paper or cloth) placed between the impression surface of a press and the paper to be printed
3.tympanum 2

Tympan — Tym pan, n. [F., fr. tympanum a kettledrum, a panel of a door. See {Tympanum}, and cf. {Tymp}.] 1. A drum. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] 2. (Arch.) A panel; a tympanum. [1913 Webster] 3. (Print.) A frame covered with parchment or cloth, on which the… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Tympan — In hand operated letterpress printing, the tympan is the taut cloth or paper mounted in a frame which is placed over the sheet of paper immediately prior to lowering the platen to make the impression.Tympan refers to a sheet of oiled manilla… … Wikipedia

tympan — [ tɪmpən] noun 1》 (in letterpress printing) a layer of packing placed between the platen and the paper to be printed to equalize the pressure over the whole forme. 2》 Architecture another term for tympanum. Origin C16: from Fr. tympan or L.… … English new terms dictionary